I knew De Reuck would be the best in South Africa - Ofori lauds reported Orlando Pirates target

Maritzburg United goalkeeper Richard Ofori believes Rushine De Reuck is destined to be a top defender.

De Reuck has had his breakthrough season in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and he is considered one of the most talented defenders in the country.

The 24-year-old player spent some time with Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira between 2014 and 2015, before returning home to join Milano United.

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Maritzburg signed De Reuck two seasons ago and Ofori also tipped the tough-tackling player to represent South Africa in future.

“I don’t know, maybe he played with fear when he first came to the club. But I knew he would be the best in South Africa and even for Bafana Bafana,” said Ofori to The Citizen.

"He had played in Portugal and learned a lot and most of the players he was with there have also graduated to the big leagues. I always told him that he would be a great defender."

De Reuck's consistent displays at the heart of Maritzburg's defence have reportedly attracted interest from Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the suspension of the current PSL season since March 2020 and the country is in a lockdown that was imposed to stem the spread of the deadly disease.

Meanwhile, the Ghana international disclosed that training in isolation had been rather difficult.

“For goalkeepers, it is a little tougher to train on our own because you need the goalposts, the box and lines to train. But the most important thing is fitness; if you are fit, everything else will be much easier,” he explained.

The South African Football Association (Safa) and PSL recently formed a task team to look at some of the issues on the resumption of the sport in the country.

Ofori stressed that teams would need about three weeks to get back into shape before matches could resume.

“I think two to three weeks because most of the clubs have been training [with players training individually at home]," he added.

"But it depends on how professional the players are. If they have been doing what they have been required to we will need two weeks and we can start [with games].”

Maritzburg are currently placed fifth on the league standings - a point behind third-placed SuperSport United.